Means for connecting frame members



Jan. 23, 1940, H. J. SHARP MEANS FOR CONNECTING FRAME MEMBERS Filed July 28, 1938 ZNVENTZE. MM .52

Patented Jan. 23, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MEANS FOR CONNECTING FRAME MEMBERS Henry J. Sharp, Avalon, Pa., assignor of onehalf to Charles M. Clarke, Sewickley, Pa.

This invention is an improvement in connecting means for the meeting terminals of flanged framing members or other constructions whereby the ends thereof are held together by frictional engagement of separatedor bifurcated'terminals of a connecting bridge member.

Generally stated, the invention consists of an overlappingbridge member insertible across the transverse meeting line of the terminals to be connected and. having pairs of bifurcated terminals, and means for forcing them into binding engagement with the frame flanges.

In the drawing, showing certain preferred constructions:

Fig. 1 is a perspective outside view of a conventional frame having its corners connected by my improvement; i

Fig. 2 is a detail inside view of one of the corner joint constructions;

Fig. 31s a perspective detail view of one of the bridge members, detached;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line IV-IV of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a view of one of the separating wedges;

Fig. 6 is a view like Fig. 2 showing connection with the abutting ends of a curved framing;

Fig. 7 is a View like Fig. 3 of the curved bridge member therefor;

Fig. 8 is a partial face view of a straight bridge member provided with a modified construction of expanding means for the bifurcated terminals thereof;

Fig. 9 is a view like Fig. 2 showing a modified construction.

Referring to the drawing Fig. 1 merely illustrates one conventional rectangular form of an enclosing frame A, the main side and end members a of which are connected by a mitre joint.

Said members are provided with projecting flanges or otherwise located abutments 2 having sufl'icient inner contact area for engagement thereagainst of the opposite edges 3 of the bifurcated arms 4 of connecting bridge member 5.

The said bridge member as shown is in the form of a comparatively thin metal plate laid across the frame terminals and. providing an overlapping joint. such as to make a neat interfitting engagement against the web portions 6 and between flanges 2 of the frame members, with means for expanding arms 4 to force their edges 3 into binding engagement with the flanges, as in Figs. 2 and 6.

In one form of the invention this result is effected by wedges I driven inwardly along the inner tapering edges 8 of the arms for tightening,

against the intervening resistance section Its normal dimensions are.

and removal by reverse driving for loosening. To facilitate such removal, and also in assistance of desirable edgewise limited resiliency of the arms 4, I provide terminal clearance openings 9 of circular or any other suitable form. i 6' For corner connection of any plural member frame construction as in the principal figures, the joint is consistently strong, firm and rigid,easily connected and just as easily separated on occasion. Other applications of the invention, as to 1G continuously straight abutting sections, or on a curvature as in Figs. 6 and. 7, merely involve shaping the bridge member conformably, as will be readily understood.

While the wedge and taper edge arrangement 15 is satisfactory and effective it will be understood that other means may be utilized for spreading apart the bifurcated arms into binding engage ment with resisting portions of the frame, as its flanges.

Thus in Fig. 8 I show a rotatable cam expander ill of oval or slightly eccentric form, seated between concave bearings ll of the arms and having a key socket l2 for rotation. By such or any equivalent arrangement the arms may be nor- 25 mally fitted loosely, and by a quarter or less turn of the expander will be separated for binding engagement and holding action, as with the Wedge form.

I show in Fig. 9 a modified construction utilizing a plurality of wedges l intervening between outer expansible arms 4 and an intervening resisting portion I 4 of the bridge member. Such construction is available to adapt the generally similar bridge member to greater width forms of 35 the framing members a in which the same expanding and binding pressure of the arms 4 is effected by the wedges or other means used l4. Otherwise the construction and operation is the 40 same as above described.

In order to prevent loosening of the arm spreading means by vibration or jarring, such means may be temporarily connected with the arms as by solder I 3, easily broken away for loosening. The construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood and appreciated from the foregoing description. It is extremely simple, effective and cheap and may be utilized in a wide variety of framing or other constructions requiring use of a separable joint.

It avoids the necessity of screws, rivets, welding, or other commonly used means and is very compact, without lateral projections.

Changes or variations in design, proportions,

size, or otherwise may be made by the skilled mechanic to adapt the invention to different conditions of use, but all such changes are contemplated as within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with adjacent terminals of channel shape framing members having opposite flanges, an overlapping thin flat metal connecting bridge plate having terminal bifurcations provided with outer flange-engaging edges and inner inclined edges, and interposed expanding and loosening wedges adapted to effect binding engagement against the flanges by insertion and to effect release when reversed.

2. In combination with adjacent terminals of channel shape framing members having opposite flanges, an overlapping thin flat metal connecting bridge plate having terminal bifurcations provided with outer flange-engaging edges and inner inclined edges, inner clearance openings, and interposed expanding means adapted to effect binding engagement against the flanges when applied andto effect release when removed.

3. In combination with adjacent terminals of framing members having opposite flanges, an overlapping thin flat metal. connecting bridge plate having terminal bifurcations provided with outer flange-engaging edges and inner inclined gedges, inner clearance openings, and freely removable interposed expanding wedges insertable between the bifurcations for tightening and reversable by applying force to the inner end of each wedge through said clearance openings.

flange-engaging edge and an interposed expanding cam for each pair of bifurcations.

5. In combination with adjacent terminals of channel shape framing members having opposite flanges, an overlapping connecting bridge of thin plate metal having terminal pairs of bifurcated arms provided with outer flange-engaging edges and inner inclined edges terminating in an inner clearance opening, and an expanding wedge inserted between said inclined edges operable to separate the arms into binding engagement with the flanges and capable of removal by application of force to the inner end of the wedge.

6. A joint forming member for connecting the meeting ends of flanged framing sections consisting of a thin flat metal bridge plate having terminal pairs of spaced apart arms with outer bearing edges conforming to flange alinement of the framing sections and inner cam bearing seats, and an intervening separating cam member engaging said seats.

7. A joint forming member for connecting the meeting ends of flanged framing sections consisting of a thin flat metal bridge plate having terminal pairs of spaced apart arms with outer bearing edges conforming to flange alinement of the framing sections and inner converging wedging edges adapted to be engaged by an intervening wedge. 7

8. A joint forming member for connecting the meeting ends of flanged framing sections consisting of a thin flat metal bridge plate having terminal pairs of spaced apart arms with outer bearing edges conforming to flange alinement of the framing sections and inner converging wedging edges terminating in a clearance opening, and an intervening expanding wedge for the arms adapted to be released by application of pressure to its inner end through the clearance opening.

HENRY J. SHARP. 

